


After The Credits Roll

by mseg_21



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Movie Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23620735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21
Summary: Grizz doesn't particularly like movie nights in New Ham, but Sam Eliot may be enough to change his mind about them.
Relationships: Sam Eliot & Gareth "Grizz" Visser, Sam Eliot/Gareth "Grizz" Visser
Comments: 11
Kudos: 126





	After The Credits Roll

**Author's Note:**

> Just rewatched The Society and seeing Grizz and Sam again was the push I needed to finish this fic that I started last year. 
> 
> Enjoy my first fic for this fandom :)

Movie nights in New Ham were a pretty big deal. 

It was one of the few only sources of entertainment in their town and it gave them some much needed distraction from their crappy situation. 

Every other Friday, most of them would gather at the church with popcorn and whatever snacks were left, to watch a movie someone found on their laptop.

They were short on options. People were used to Netflix and other streaming services and rarely downloaded movies anymore. They knew they would eventually run out of new movies to watch, but people liked to believe that they would be back home by the time that happened. 

And it wasn't really about the movie. Movie night gave them a semblance of normalcy and, in this weird black hole anti-universe, that was enough for most of them.

Before New Ham, Grizz wasn't a fan of movie theaters. Movies? Yes. Listening to people loudly chew popcorn, feeling them kick his seat or hearing them complain about sitting behind Bigfoot? Not so much. 

Which was the reason why he missed the first one and the second one and then a few more. He'd rather stay at home⎯ either Allie's or his own. 

It had already been a month since movie night became a thing when Luke finally dragged Grizz to church on a Friday night. 

"If I have to sit through _The Notebook_ because Helena asked me to, as my best friend you're obligated to share my suffering!" Luke told him.

Grizz put up his fair share of resistance. It wasn't enough to duck out of it entirely but by the time Luke finally managed to get them both to church, the movie had already started and they had to sit in the back. Grizz was glad that his ponytail wouldn't block anyone's view. 

He crossed his arms and leaned his head against the wall behind him, planning to use that time to take a nap. He was already starting to drift off when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. 

He whirled his head to the side and his eyes widened when he saw Sam Eliot sitting on a bench slightly to his left.

Grizz was probably half asleep when they arrived, completely missing the fact that the guy he had been trying so hard not to crush on for years was sitting within staring distance.

Becca was sitting next to him, signing at him. Sam's pretty blue eyes darted between her hands and the projector. There was an adorable crease between his eyebrows that Grizz could see even with the dimmed lights. 

At first, Grizz thought they were having a conversation, but Sam wasn't signing back and with his slight knowledge of sign language, Grizz recognized that some of the words Becca was signing matched the movie's dialogue. 

Oh, right. 

The movie had no subtitles and from the distance, Grizz doubted that Sam could read the character's lips⎯ hence Becca having to sign the dialogue to him.

Grizz felt a spark of anger that no one would think to check if there were subtitles on the movie or that they didn't care enough to find one that did. He knew there were few options, but if it was him in charge of picking the movie he would try harder. 

In fact, he was going to. 

Grizz was pretty sure he had a few movies with subtitles that he could give to Kelly or Gwen for the next movie night. Some people might find them weird and a bit boring, but if they were forcing him to watch _The Notebook_ , then they could live through one of Grizz's favorite classics. 

His eyes kept darting to Sam every once in a while. Eventually, he stopped trying to pretend he was paying attention to the movie and stared only at him. 

The dim lighting and the fact that everyone was either sleeping or enraptured in the movie, allowed Grizz to stare as much as he wanted without having to worry about being caught, either by Sam or someone else. 

At least, that's what he thought⎯ he didn't count on Luke being just as distracted as he was.

"Why are you smiling?" He whispered, Grizz immediately tensed up, averting his gaze towards the projector. "Don't tell me you're actually enjoying this shit."

Grizz gave a noncommittal shrug. 

He wasn't enjoying the movie, in fact he didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on other than two people kissing on the screen. Grizz had to resist the urge to wrinkle his nose. 

"Enjoying the free show?" Luke snickered just as the guy took off the woman's blouse. Helena saved Grizz from having to answer by smacking Luke's leg and shushing him. 

This time, Grizz tried to keep his eyes on the movie, but they darted back to Sam again. He was careful to school his features in case Luke decided to pay attention to him again. 

He had to consciously stop himself from smiling like an idiot every time Sam frowned adorably or had to stifle a laugh or rolled his eyes at Becca. 

Sam would occasionally look around and his eyes met Grizz's. The first time Sam smiled at him and offered him a small wave. Grizz returned the gesture with a small smile himself. The next time, Sam stared curiously at him and Grizz felt his face heating up, feeling grateful for the darkness of the room. 

Grizz also found himself following the movements of Becca's hands while she signed, picking up new words and committing them to memory. 

He'd wanted to learn sign language for a while, wondering what it would be like to communicate with Sam in his own language. He'd meant to sneak into the library and get a book to teach himself how to do it, but he hadn't gotten the chance yet. For now, he would pay attention when people signed to Sam, trying to pick up new things.

He tried to convince himself that he wanted to learn merely out of boredom since there wasn't a lot to do during their free time in New Ham. Or out of necessity since he spent a lot of time in Allie's house where Sam started to live when his asshole brother kicked him out of his own home. Everyone there knew at least a little bit of sign language to communicate with Sam except for Grizz⎯ so learning how to sign was only out of need, right?

 _Wrong_. 

The more time they spent in this alternate version of their town and the more it looked like they were stuck there, the more Grizz started to accept who he really was or who he was attracted _to_ , really.

And with that, he realized it was stupid to deny his feelings or the reasons why he did what he did. 

Grizz wasn't ready to come out, not yet. He would still panic when Clarke or Jason would question the fact that he hadn't found himself a girlfriend in this mess, or when Luke would catch him checking Sam out. Years of habit just didn't disappear because eighty percent of the town did, but he was less uneasy about being around Sam or showing interest in him. 

Well, maybe _less uneasy_ wasn't right, because Grizz was still a nervous wreck around the guy. 

He tried so hard to stay away from him all these years, that now he had no idea how to behave like a normal person around him⎯ tripping over his words or his feet, nervously toying with his hair, his eyes darting to Sam's lips without meaning to. 

Now that he thought about it he was right to keep his distance all this time. If he hadn't then his blindingly obvious crush on Sam would've been the town's newest gossip in no time. 

He was surprised that no one had picked up on it yet, with how they were all in other people's business these days. He was glad they hadn't, the last thing he wanted was for Sam to realize Grizz was crushing on him. 

And crushing on him he was, he accepted it now. He had a crush on Sam and he wanted to know him better and to do that, he needed to communicate with him⎯ as well as gather up the courage to do it. 

Until then though he would keep staring, trying to learn sign language and pining miserably. 

And movie night was the perfect opportunity to do that.

Now every Friday Grizz would find himself joining the others in the church, without someone having to drag him there. 

He would sit in the back, find Sam and Becca in the crowd and watch them throughout the night. If the movie had subtitles he would watch their commentary⎯ quips and jokes that made Grizz laugh. 

When they sat still watching the movie Grizz would admire the way the light from the projector brought out Sam's freckles or made his blue eyes shine.

If the movies didn't have subtitles, Grizz would alternate between gazing longingly at Sam and studying Becca's hands as they moved. It slowly became part of his routine and now Grizz even looked forward to movie night.

He'd lost count of how many of them he had attended when something changed.

Grizz arrived slightly late. He had been reading earlier and had fallen asleep and when he got there, the opening credits had finished rolling up⎯ they were watching Star Wars tonight.

Sitting down, Grizz scanned the room for the red hair he was so fond of and found it on the second to last row.

Then he realized something was missing and that something was Becca. Grizz frowned, trying to spot her but she was nowhere to be found. 

His eyes darted back to Sam and he noticed that he was leaning forward in his seat, his eyes narrowed at the projector where a movie without subtitles was playing. 

Oh. 

Without Becca there to sign to him, Sam was forced to read the characters' lips and judging by his annoyed expression, he wasn't doing a good job at it. Sam scoffed, crossing his arms in frustration. It was clear he wasn't enjoying himself and Grizz could tell that he was about to leave. 

He definitely didn't want that. 

He didn't want to miss out on seeing Sam's pretty face for two more hours or miss out on a great movie⎯ mostly the first one. 

Taking a deep breath, Grizz abandoned his usual spot in the back and sat down next to Sam. 

His head snapped up. A hesitant smile appeared on his face when he saw Grizz. 

"Hi Grizz," He whispered, signing along with his words.

Grizz signed _hello_ back and slowly spelled out Sam's name, causing his smile to widen. Then he turned slightly on his seat to face Sam so that he could read his lips, hoping the light from the projector was enough for him to see them. "Where is Becca?" 

The light must have been enough because Sam seemed to understand the question, he moved slightly closer to Grizz before speaking. "She had an early shift today at the cafeteria." He said, Grizz's eyes alternated between watching Sam's hands and his lips. "And another one tomorrow. She's sleeping."

Grizz nodded, he tilted his head towards the front of the church. "Couldn't pass on movie night, huh?"

Sam shrugged. "There isn't a lot to do on a Friday night." Grizz smiled, nodding in agreement. "But I think I'm going to go." Grizz's face fell and Sam shrugged apologetically. "Without Becca and without subtitles, it's dumb for me to stay. Hard to understand."

"I can help." Grizz offered quickly. "I can repeat the dialogue for you and you can read my lips. I can sign a little too, but I'm not as good as Becca."

Sam shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that. You'll miss what happens." 

Grizz let out a snort, waving Sam off. "I've seen this movie a thousand times." He was talking slower than usual, not because he thought Sam needed it, but because he was trying to sign along with his words and he wasn't that fluent. Sam's eyes darted from Grizz's lips to his hands and Grizz could see his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I can probably recite most of the lines from memory."

Sam's lips twitched before he nodded. Grizz grinned and sat completely sideways on the bench so he was fully facing Sam and then began translating. 

Grizz was glad that not a lot of people had shown up tonight and that those who did decided to sit mostly in the front, leaving several empty places around the two of them. Not because he didn't want them to see him with Sam. Screw that. He just didn't want to distract them with his talking and his gesturing or risk pissing them off. Especially when he wasn't only repeating the dialogue but also acting out some of the events like the lightsaber fights or C3PO's robotic movements. Sam giggled every time, which was mostly what prompted Grizz to do it again and again, just so he could see the way his eyes crinkled adorably.

Grizz didn't know how much of the movie Sam was actually grasping, but he seemed to be enjoying himself and well⎯ wasn't that the whole point of movie night?

When the movie ended the credits rolled down and the lights went on. Without the cover of darkness, Grizz fidgeted nervously under Sam's stare. "Did you like the movie?" He asked him. 

"I liked your interpretation." Sam said with a teasing smile. "Especially the lightsaber fights."

Grizz chuckled, face flushing pink. "I think I got a bit carried away. Sorry about that."

Sam shook his head, giving Grizz a smile that could only be described as flirty. "Don't be sorry. It was cute."

Grizz's stomach fluttered wildly and he chuckled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "I'm⎯ I'm sorry about the signing too." 

Sam's expression softened and he touched Grizz's knee. "You were great. You know more than I thought you would."

"Oh. It's just stuff I've picked up on, from you and Becca and Allie⎯" Grizz said, still not ready to tell Sam just how hard he had been trying to learn how to sign, watching him and the others, committing all those signs to memory. "Speaking of Allie, shouldn't you be heading back? It's almost midnight."

Sam glanced down at his watch which read 20 minutes until midnight and, therefore, the town's curfew. 

"Are you going to Allie's house too?" Sam asked him.

Grizz hesitated. He didn't need to, he wasn't on watch duty tonight or tomorrow morning. He could spend the night at his house if he wanted. But if he chose to do that then he and Sam would be parting ways as soon as they left the church and Grizz wasn't ready to say goodbye to Sam just yet. 

"Yes, yeah." Grizz said at last. If anyone asked, he could just tell them that he got his watch schedules mixed up.

Sam smiled and signed _cool_ , which Grizz proudly understood. 

The church had emptied out for the most part and Sam tilted his head towards the doors.

Grizz stepped to the side, motioning for Sam to go first. "After you, my young padawan." He said with a flourish and Sam let out a cute little laugh that made Grizz's heart skip a beat. 

Outside, the crowd had already split into groups, heading in different directions. Grizz and Sam started walking towards Allie's house together.

They walked in silence with Grizz staring at the sky and occasionally stealing occasional glances at his companion and Sam staring at the floor. The street was mostly empty, but they still walked close to each other. The back of their hands brushing together until Grizz tucked his own in the pockets of his letterman jacket, worried that he might do something stupid, like grab hold of Sam's hand or something. 

Grizz didn't mind the silence, but this was probably the first time they were completely alone and he felt like he was wasting the opportunity by not saying anything. He bumped his shoulder against Sam to attract his attention and he looked up at him, head tilted in question. With the moon shining bright and the street lamps there was enough light for them to have a conversation. 

"You've never seen Star Wars before?"

Sam shook his head. "I always thought they were boring."

Grizz's eyes widened and he couldn't help but gasp dramatically. "Take that back!"

Sam snickered, lifting his shoulder in a shrug. "Everytime I tried to watch them I would fall asleep." He explained. "I never made it past _the Phantom Menace_."

"Wait," Grizz frowned, narrowing his eyes. "You watched _The_ _Phantom Menace_ first?" Sam nodded, Grizz was already shaking his head pointedly. "No Sam, that's not how you do it. It's no surprise you were bored. The prequels suck."

Sam shrugged. "Why name it episode I if you're not supposed to watch it first?"Grizz laughed. He had to admit Sam had a point. "I did like the one we saw today."

"Of course you did, it's the best one." Grizz said, then he pursed his lips. "You know what? Someone in this anti-universe town _must_ have the other two. Maybe Gordie. I will find them and then you can watch them."

Sam smirked up at Grizz. "Will you watch them with me?"

Grizz let out a nervous laugh. He couldn't help but notice it sounded a lot like Sam was asking him on a date but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He nodded, "Someone has to act out all the epic lightsaber scenes."

Sam chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly. The movement was interrupted by a shiver running down his spine. He noticed that Sam was only wearing a thin shirt, not enough to keep out the cold. Grizz on the other hand was wearing a sweatshirt plus his letterman jacket and, far from feeling cold, he was actually feeling warm. 

Sam wrapped his arms around his body. Without giving himself a minute to consider how it would look, Grizz shook off his jacket and held it towards Sam.

Sam looked at it and then at Grizz who shrugged. "You're cold."

Sam looked surprised, eyes slightly wider than usual, mouth parted and⎯ was that a blush? "What about you?" 

"I'm fine. Come on, take it."

Sam accepted the jacket, throwing it on and tucking his arms inside the sleeves. When he looked up at him and signed _thank_ _you_ , Grizz had to bite his cheek to stop himself from making an embarrassing sound at how cute and small Sam looked completely engulfed by Grizz's jacket, the hem reaching all the way down to his thighs and the sleeves covering his hands. 

He muttered a weak _you're_ _welcome,_ forcing himself to look away and resuming their walk. Still as they walked silently, he kept stealing glances at him, appreciating just how cute Sam looked drowning in his jacket. 

Sam wasn't short but same as with everyone else in town, Grizz towered over him. Right now, he could probably wrap an arm around Sam and he would fit perfectly against his side. He wished he could do it, he wished he was _allowed_ to do it. He wasn't much for physical contact, but he wasn't against hugging his teammates or jumping on their backs, but this was different. This would _mean_ something and Grizz didn't think he was ready for that. Not yet. 

A few people walked past them, nodding at Grizz. He wondered what this looked like to them⎯ the two of them alone, late at night, walking together while Sam wore Grizz's jacket. 

They arrived at Allie's house exactly one minute before midnight. Allie was sitting outside, curled up in a chair and sipping on a steaming cup of tea. She saw Sam first and stood up to greet him, leaving the cup on the floor. "There you are, Sam." She signed. Then she noticed Grizz and her face lit up with amusement. "Oh, hey Grizz." 

"Hi, Allie."

Sam waved and Allie's eyes zeroed in on the letterman jacket he was wearing. Grizz could practically see in her face what she was thinking. His cheeks flushed pink.

"We were wondering where you were." Allie told her cousin. 

"Movie night." Sam said simply. 

"Did you have fun?" 

"Yeah. We saw Star Wars, Grizz is a big fan." Sam said, making Grizz chuckle.

Allie knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you hated Star Wars, Sam."

He shrugged, glancing at Grizz with a small smile. "It's starting to grow on me."

Grizz smiled, his heart skipping a beat. He knew he was blushing and he knew that both Allie and Sam could probably tell. 

"You're staying here tonight Grizz?" Allie asked. "I thought Jason was on watch duty tonight."

Sam looked up at him, a question in his eyes. Grizz faltered, "Oh he is? I thought⎯ Oh well, I guess I'll just walk back home."

"I don't know Grizz, as a member of the guard you shouldn't be out there after curfew. You gotta give the example." Allie said with a smirk. "You're more than welcome to stay." Her eyes darted between him and Sam, giving them a pointed look that made Grizz blush harder.

"Thanks Allie but I'll be fine. My house isn't that far." He said with a shrug. It wasn't true, his house was on the other side of town, but neither Sam nor Allie knew that and they didn't need to. 

"Well, you better hurry."

"Yes, ma'am." Grizz teased, but he didn't move from his spot. He could feel Allie's eyes on him, but he was looking at Sam. He didn't look like he wanted to move either, feet shuffling and his hands tucked inside the pockets of Grizz's jacket. 

"Okay then." Allie said after a minute, picking up her cup of tea. "I'll leave you two to say goodbye. Bye Grizz. Sam, I'll see you inside." And with one last look at them, she went inside. 

When it was just the two of them, Sam turned to face him. 

"I'm sorry you had to walk all the way here for nothing." 

Grizz shrugged. "It wasn't for nothing." He said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I mean, as a member of the guard it was my duty to make sure you got home safe." Without the letterman jacket, Grizz shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans to stop himself from wringing them together nervously. 

Sam grinned up at him. "Thank you for the company and thank you for this," He said, starting to shrug off the letterman jacket. Grizz gripped his arms to stop him.

"Keep it." He said when Sam looked up at him. 

"Are you sure? What about you?" 

"I'll be fine." Grizz said. He nervously cleared his throat before adding, "Besides it looks better on you than it does on me." 

Sam blushed to the tip of his ears, lips curling in a smile. "I don't think that is true." He said and Grizz was sure his cheeks were just as pink. "So⎯ same time, next week?"

Grizz's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

"I had fun tonight." Sam told him. "With you." Grizz was still holding Sam's arms and his fingers gripped the material of the jacket tighter. "I thought we could do it again next week."

" _Oh_. Yes, yeah totally." Grizz said, nodding vehemently. 

"It's a date." Sam said, his smile growing bigger. Grizz felt butterflies explode in his stomach, a small strangled sound escaping his throat. He wasn't sure if Sam meant it like _that_ , but then he answered his question by going on his tiptoes and pressing his mouth against his. It was barely a kiss⎯ just a quick startling press of his lips but it was enough to make Grizz's stomach swoop and turn. "Goodnight Grizz."

Grizz blinked at him, noticeably flustered. "Oh yeah, goodnight Sam." 

He walked towards the house, turning to smile at Grizz one last time over his shoulder before going inside. 

Grizz stood there for a moment, unable to fight off a smile. The wind started to pick up but even if Grizz wasn't wearing his jacket anymore, he felt warm the entire walk home. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can leave a comment or I have a tumblr if anyone wants to talk about Grizzam or request a fic [jem-carstairs-is-perfection](http://jem-carstairs-is-perfection.tumblr.com/%22)


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